JULY 2019
PESTILENCE
SUPERBUGS, PLAGUES AND HUMANITY’S FUTURE
LESSONS FROM THE PORT ARTHUR MASSACRE
STILL STANDING after losing a child
A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE ON THE WORLD TODAY
IN THIS ISSUE
JULY 2019
PESTILENCE PAGE 32 Microscopic threats are increasing. But there is hope.
6 CURRENT
WHAT IN THE WORLD FOOTSTEPS OF A MURDERER Lessons from the Port Arthur massacre 14 STREET SIGNS Gun laws—the public speaks out 4 6
WELLBEING
16 LEADING A GREEN LIFE It’s time to get eco-
friendly 20 STILL STANDING Growing a stronger marriage after losing a child 38 GO HEALTHY FOR GOOD Health news for every body FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA 2
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26
46 STOP THE SNIFFLES Use these simple
supermarket items 60 RECIPE Couscous-stuffed
butternut pumpkins
CULTURE
26 A SHED-FULL OF MEN
Shoulder to shoulder, getting stuff done
SCIENCE & TECH
52 THE CUTTING EDGE What’s happening in
FAITH
40 SUPERNATURAL POWER
What the Bible says about spiritual gifts 48 LAYING DOWN THE LAW God’s commandments are founded on love 54 HUMBLE FAITH Genuine Christianity is other-focused
/SIGNSOFTHETIMES
research, engineering and technology?
FUN
62 CROSSWORD & SUDOKU Have you been paying
attention? Yes, there will be a test!
FROM THE EDITOR One of the saddest features of contemporary society is the epidemic of loneliness we’re witnessing. This is an age described as “hyper-connected” and “interactive” and yet the latest Australian census results reveal that the fastest-growing household type is the sole resident—no partner, no kids. We were created to connect. The stark evidence comes from the orphanages of Romania where, after the ousting of Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989, dozens of dying and neurologically damaged children were discovered lying alone in their cots. They had not been bashed or starved; they had simply been denied eye contact, cuddles and babytalk. The need for human contact continues through the lifespan. The international Men’s Shed movement is a successful strategy that even some women want to be a part of (page 26). And Daniel Kuberek’s exploration of gun violence demonstrates that the quality of human interaction has sometimes been the deciding factor in whether or not the unthinkable occurs (page 6). Even in matters of religion, it’s important not to go it alone. A Christian without a community of fellow believers is at risk of spiritual decline and may end up with strange or even extreme views. We need encouragement. We need teaching. We need a sounding board. And, as Nathan Brown points out in “Humble Faith” (page 54), we need those who have walked the road of belief before us. I pray that you’ll find much to encourage you in this month’s Signs of the Times. And, as you read, I hope you’ll get a very real sense that you are not alone.
Kent
KENT KINGSTON Editor
VOL 134 NO 7 ISSN 1038-9733 EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER Brad Kemp EDITOR Kent Kingston ASSISTANT EDITOR Daniel Kuberek COPYEDITOR Tracey Bridcutt GRAPHIC DESIGN Nerise McQuillan Theodora Amuimuia PHONE +61 2 9847 2222 EMAIL info@signsofthetimes.org.au WEBSITE signsofthetimes.org.au ADDRESS Adventist Media PO Box 1115, Wahroonga New South Wales 2076 SUBSCRIPTIONS Kelli Geelan PHONE +61 3 5965 6300 Australia, $A26; New Zealand, $NZ26; South Pacific countries, $A41; Other countries $A51 Published since 1886, Signs of the Times is printed 11 times a year by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and is registered as a periodical. Seventh-day Adventist Church (SPD) Limited ABN 59 093 117 689 NOTE The inclusion of a person or their image within does not imply their endorsement of the Seventh-day Adventist Church or its beliefs. Unless otherwise stated, Bible verses are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, Anglicised. Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc®. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton. All rights reserved worldwide. COVER PHOTO: inhauscreative—Getty Images
@Kent_SignsMag JULY 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES
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FOOTSTEPS OF A MURDERER Lessons from the Port Arthur massacre
What brings a person to use a gun to take the lives of many? BY DANIEL KUBEREK
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IMAGES BY DANIEL KUBEREK JULY 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES
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I
stand in the same spot where it happened 23 years ago. There’s an eerie quietness in the air; even the birds are silent. On the ground lies a small bouquet of withered flowers. The sharp Tasmanian sun pierces through the trees, partially illuminating the grounds of what once was the bustling Broad Arrow cafe in Port Arthur, south of Hobart. A stone exterior now occupies the space, while a rectangular water feature and a nearby inscription bear witness to the significance of where I’m standing: Death has taken its toll. Some pain knows no release. But the knowledge of brave compassion Shines like a pool of peace. At the back of the small clearing
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stands a small, nondescript cross. “In loving memory,” the inscription begins. Thirty-five names are listed, followed by “Sunday 28th April 1996, Port Arthur”. A small passageway of shrubs guides people to where the cafe once stood. “What happened here?”— That’s the question asked by the plaque at the entrance. All Australians and many others around the world already know the answer. Port Arthur Historic Site is a former penal colony. For 20 years, between 1833 and 1853, it housed British convicts—criminals forced to do hard labour. What stands now is a vast property of former buildings and ruins, protected by UNESCO as a World Heritage-listed site. Thousands of tourists flock to the destination to learn about an important part of Australia’s history and to enjoy the
Thirty-five people died that day and details began emerging of the heinous nature of Bryant’s crimes. Victims as young as three and six years old were slain by Bryant’s monstrous act. Port Arthur was Australia’s worst massacre since World War II and the Federal government was swift in introducing new gun laws— some of the most restrictive in the world. Instances of mass shootings have dramatically decreased since. These thoughts swelled through my mind as I looked at the names of those on the cross standing in front of me. In that moment, my phone went off and I looked to see a text from my mum. “Did you hear about Christchurch?” she wrote. “No. What happened?” I replied, experiencing a sick premonition that the New Zealand city had just experienced another severe earthquake.
IMAGES BY DANIEL KUBEREK
idyllic waterfront views. But that’s not why the name Port Arthur sends a chill down my spine. Twenty-three years ago, those views were the last to be witnessed by a number of unsuspecting visitors to the site. Twenty-eight-year-old Hobart-born Martin Bryant had been eating at the cafe on the site when he pulled out a Colt AR-15 carbine and began shooting at random. Within 60 seconds, 20 people had been killed and another 12 wounded. He had already murdered two people on his way to the site, and continued his horrific killing spree in the nearby gift shop, car park, toll booth and service station. A tense stand-off with police ensued that night, and he was arrested the following morning, after setting fire to the guest house where he had murdered a hostage.
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“Siege,” Mum replied. At the very moment I was standing in the location of one of Australia’s most horrific massacres, New Zealand was experiencing theirs. During my journey back to Hobart, details were emerging of what had happened in Christchurch. A white supremacist had fired at Muslims worshipping in two different mosques, killing 50 and injuring another 50. Adding to the highly disturbing nature of his actions, the attacker had live-streamed the first 17 minutes of his rampage on Facebook for the whole world to see. It was devastating. It was sickening. Words are inadequate to describe these hateful acts. New Zealand lawmakers, led by Prime Minister Jacinda Arden, were quick to denounce the crime and the role of guns. The attacker had used semi- automatic rifles, shotguns and a lever-action rifle in the attack. New Zealand’s parliament responded with sweeping changes, including banning the sale of military-style semiautomatic weapons and introducing a gun amnesty for the surrender of weapons. The scheme echoes how Australia responded to its own massacre. These events are just part of a gun-crime epidemic sweeping across the world. The United 10
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thought processes: “I had nothing left to live for, I had literally nothing left to lose. And when you have nothing to lose, you can do anything. And that is a terrifying thought. “I decided my act of doing something was I was going to express my rage and anger by getting a gun. I was going to attack either my school or a mall food court. It wasn’t about the people, it was about the largest amount of damage in a short amount of time.” For Stark, the change came when a friend whose trust he had broken on multiple occasions continued to show him kindness. “When someone treats you like a person when you don’t feel like you’re human, it’ll change your entire world. And it did to me. He stopped me with his acts of kindness from committing that atrocity that day.” What Stark experienced was grace—he didn’t deserve kindness and mercy, but that’s what he received. It’s the same grace that the Bible says we receive from God. Even though we’ve all rejected His guidance and authority and don’t deserve the gift of His love, He gives it anyway. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Grace can change a person’s heart, as Stark found. “If you see someone that’s in JULY 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES
IMAGES BY DANIEL KUBEREK
States, in particular, has the highest rate of mass shootings in the world. Washington Post has kept track of shootings in the US since 1966, and found that 162 mass shootings have been committed, claiming 1153 victims. A total of 309 guns have been used in these acts, 171 of which were obtained legally. Mass shootings have affected people of different faiths and ethnicities. Muslims were the victims in Christchurch, while on November 5, 2017, 27 Christian worshippers in the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, were victims of a madman with a gun. Earlier that year, 59 people died when a man in a Las Vegas hotel fired on people at a country music festival below. On June 12, 2016, a gunman entered an Orlando gay nightclub and began shooting, killing 50 and injuring another 53. High school and college shootings have also devastated the United States in recent history. Too often it’s hate that fuels gun crime. Although stricter gun laws are demonstrably effective, guns don’t kill people by themselves; it’s the person who pulls the trigger. No-one knows this more than Aaron Stark, an ordinary American dad who, in 2018, delivered a TED talk, revealing to the world how close he came to committing a mass shooting in the 1990s. Growing up with physically and mentally abusive, drug-addicted parents, Stark described his
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ELL B EING
Still
STANDING:
GROWING A STRONGER MARRIAGE AFTER LOSING A CHILD
The pain following the death of child is deeply devastating. The best way forward for grieving parents is together.
MILANVIRIJEVIC—GETTY IMAGES
BY VICTOR PARACHIN
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oday is the first day of school and it should be my daughter’s first day in third grade. Instead she is dead. Today many of my Facebook friends are posting pictures of their children starting school. But for my wife and myself there are no pictures, no smiles—just a deep, lingering ache that affects every part of our lives. Those words were entered in the private journal of a father whose daughter had died in a car accident just a few months earlier. Often described as the “worst loss”, the death of a child can strain even the most robust of marriages. While some couples do end up separating and divorcing, many other marriages are still standing. These couples successfully learn how to manage loss, deal with grief, rise to various challenges
and not only remain together, but grow a stronger relationship after a child’s death. Here are ways couples can navigate their way through this toughest of times.
don’t believe the divorce statistics.
Over the past few decades some writers of bereavement books have stated that the divorce rate after the death of a child is 80 per cent or more. Don’t believe that dismal statistic because it does not come close to the reality. The Compassionate Friends, a worldwide organisation supporting families after child loss, recently commissioned two major studies in order to investigate parenJUNE JULY 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES
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PESTILENCE Superbugs, viral outbreaks, the steady encroachment of malarial mosquitoes. Is there any hope?
M
atthew didn’t die last night, but he will.” Just days before doctors delivered this grim news, in June 2012, Matthew Ames, an engineer from Brisbane, had woken with flulike symptoms and a throat so sore that he visited a GP. Unbeknown to that GP, his sore throat was
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courtesy of the Group A Streptococcus bacteria, which is also responsible for impetigo, cellulitis, scarlet fever and, indirectly, rheumatic fever. The bacteria in Matthew’s “Strep throat” found a breach in his defences somewhere, and quietly slipped into his bloodstream. As he sought medical attention several times, and
INHAUSCREATIVE—GETTY IMAGES
BY JULIE HOEY
was repeatedly sent home with painkillers, the bacteria were multiplying rapidly, and his condition worsened daily. By the time he was admitted to hospital, the bacterial population coursing through his bloodstream had released large amounts of toxin which, in turn, had ruptured the membranes of Matthew’s red blood
cells, rendering them useless. Muscle and tissue throughout his body had started to die, releasing additional toxins into his bloodstream, and his organs were shutting down. Within three days of his hospital admission, both Matthew’s arms and legs were amputated to improve his chances of survival from zero to one per cent. JULY 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES
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R E CI P E
Couscous-Stuffed Butternut Pumpkins PREPARATION TIME: 20 mins COOKING TIME: 60 mins SERVES: 4 INGREDIENTS
2 small butternut pumpkins 2 cups reduced salt vegetable stock 1 cup Israeli couscous 1 teaspoon olive oil 1 1/2 cups chopped kale 1/4 cup pomegranate arils
1 1/2 tablespoon flaked almonds, toasted 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut flakes, toasted 1 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast 1 teaspoon lemon zest
METHOD
1. Halve the pumpkins and scoop out seeds. Score the flesh with a sharp knife. 2. Place pumpkin halves on an oven tray and bake in a hot oven at 200°C for 45–50 minutes or until pumpkin flesh is cooked through. 3. Place stock in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add couscous, reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir, cover and set aside. 4. Heat oil in a skillet and saute kale until wilted. 5. Stir kale and remaining ingredients through couscous. 6. Scoop out majority of pumpkin flesh with a spoon, leaving 1.25 cm pumpkin around the border and 2 cm at the base. Transfer couscous mixture into pumpkin shells. 7. Return back to oven and bake in hot oven at 200°C for 10 minutes or until warmed through.
PER SERVE: Energy 1250 kJ; Cal 299; Protein 10 g; Fat 20 g; Saturated fat 3 g; Carbohydrate 22 g; Sugars 16 g; Sodium 360 mg; Potassium 640 mg; Calcium 160 mg; Iron 5 mg. Recipe courtesy of Sanitarium Health Food Company. Visit sanitarium.com.au or sanitarium.co.nz and subscribe to Recipe of the Week for a delicious plant-powered recipe in your inbox each week. 60
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Choose sm butternut pu all mpkins, otherwise serving size will be too large. Keep leftov er pumpkin a side or in to use as scones Israeli cous , sweet loaf, etc. cous is the brother of big the more co mmon couscous. It needs to be cooked rath er than soaked.
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